Lawn Aeration
Achieving and maintaining the lawn of your dreams requires basic lawn care practices such as properly mowing, fertilizing and watering. To these practices be sure to include lawn aeration. Aeration is a process that removes thousands of small ‘plugs’ of turf and soil from your lawn. This allows water and nutrients more direct access to your turf’s roots while reducing thatch buildup. Aeration gives existing root systems room to expand and fortify themselves for the future. Aeration also goes hand in hand with over-seeding (seeding existing turf areas). Numerous holes in the turf expose new seeds directly to the soil and shelters them from wind, animals, or other elements – increasing their viability. Aeration is vital because it ensures that air and water are able to penetrate any thatch or compacted soil and get to the root system of your turf-grass.
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE IF YOUR LAWN SHOULD BE AERATED?
Any lawn can benefit from yearly aeration. But your lawn should definitely be aerated if:
It gets heavy use by children and pets running around the yard.
It was established as part of a newly constructed home. Topsoil of newly constructed lawns are often stripped or buried, and the grass is established on subsoil which has been compacted by construction traffic.
It dries out easily and has a spongy feel. This could mean your lawn has an excessive thatch problem. If the thatch layer is greater than one-half inch, lawn aeration is recommended.
It was established by sod, and soil layering exists. Sod, which comes with finer textured soil, is often laid down over existing coarser soil. This is called soil layering, and it disrupts drainage because water is held in the fine-textured soil, leading to poor root development and compacted soil. Lawn aeration breaks up the layering, allowing water to flow through the soil more easily and reach the roots.
The best time for lawn aeration is in the fall (during the growing season), when the grass can heal and fill in any open areas after soil plugs are removed. Overseeding right after aeration is a great way to augment the thickening process. Like all living things, your lawn’s health depends on water, air and nutrients. Proper lawn aeration ensures a healthy lawn for years to come! We pride ourselves in our Bucks County landscaping knowledge, and we would love to share this information with you!
